


Starless Knights

by SilentBob



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-05-17 20:57:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14839034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentBob/pseuds/SilentBob
Summary: James William Smith discovers an ancient book, filled with old writings.  He reads a passage from the book and is transported to a magical world, it's survive or die in a world with Elves, Orcs, dragons, lions and tigers oh my!





	1. Welcome to the Jungle

James was tasked with clearing the attic. Being bored, he had nothing else to do. 

“So,” he thought, “fuck it,” and he headed up the stairs. In the hall, he jumped up, grabbing the string that pulled the stairs down. He went up into the haze and dust where he encountered a fragrance one might call Attic In The Morning. He promptly sneezed.

“Bless me,” he chortled to himself as he wiped his nose.

He cleaned, tidied, and organized as best he could. About an hour into the task, he pulled a box out from the back of a shelf, opened it up, and peered inside. 

“No racoons,” he observed silently, so that was good. Instead, he found a book. On its front it was leather-bound with the picture of a face that looked twisted in agony. James frowned as he pulled the cover open. The pages actually creaked and they were noticeably yellowed from time. He flipped the pages open to a random spot and ran his fingers over the text as he looked at the strange writing.

James read a phrase and suddenly the air seemed to shimmer.

“What. The. Fuck?”

He dropped the book. The shimmering got more intense and he felt a great sense of disorientation. And suddenly he was no longer in his home, but in some woodland.

“Am I?”

He turned around, looking at the area. It did indeed appear to be woodland - lots of trees and vibrant colours. It was evident that this area did not suffer the human disposition; the grass here prospered and spread out before him on the ground where shrubs and saplings grew. As the wind blew through the trees the blades seemed to move in its direction. It reminded him oddly of someone running their fingers through hair; while each blade of grass might be individual they all moved as one. The trees were a cacophony of color, swaying and moving with the breeze that ran its fingers through them as the creatures that inhabited them seemed to sing in delight. The sun was high up in the sky and a few lazy clouds floated around. 

James didn’t know how to get back, so he decided to wander. He heard the sound of hooves first and followed it to what appeared to be a dirt road. Well, really it was nothing more than trampled ground where horses had road across. He flagged down a group of rough-looking individuals.

“Hey, I need help!”

The men exchanged glances and one retorted, “Yeah, with your fashion sense.”

They laughed.

“I’m lost,” James said. “I don’t know where I am. Perhaps you could kindly help out a fellow stranger and show me the way?”

“Sure,” the man smiled, got off the horse, and walked up to James.

“Oh, Thank God” James said. “You’re most generous.”

The man smiled, looked back at his comrades, smiled at them smugly, and whipped around, slugging James across the face and knocking him unconscious.

James grunted awake and looked around. He was tied to a tree and quite naked. One of the men was examining his boots and frowned.

“Never seen a make like these” he chucked it at James. “Not worth it.”

“Maybe we can unload ‘em at the market” another said. “Or maybe he’ll fetch some coin.”

“Yeah” one of them walked over to James and stood in front of him. James looked away when the guy continued, “I got an itch to scratch first though.”

“Ugh. Gross,” James thought. He wouldn’t normally mind being gang fucked but he had no idea how clean any of them would be – probably not clean at all. 

The men laughed as the guy grabbed his cock and walked back to the fire.

James mumbled something. One of the others walked over and took off the gag, then threateningly asked, “You going to scream?”

“Nope.”

“Good.”

“But I was wondering what the name of your group is.”

“Goldpoint Hunters.”

“Gold point?”

The man sighed and pulled an arrow out of his quiver “we use a specific type of arrowhead. He leaned down and showed James the golden point. It’s our calling card, you might say.”

James inclined his head “I like it - very clever.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, mate.”

The guy replaced the arrow.

“Worth a shot,” James chortled with a raised eyebrow. The man laughed and slapped James across the face then went back to the fire. James sighed.

Evening fell, and as it did, the men got drowsy from drink and the heat from the fire. James took the opportunity to work free of the rope binding him to the tree. Eventually he popped his hand out with a grimace and waited for the last to doze off as he steadily loosened the knot holding the rope to him.

He managed to get the rope free and just as he was walking quietly away, one of them woke up.

“Hey.”

James flipped him the finger, “Fuck yourself, dickwad.”

James sprinted toward the edge of the clearing.

The man moved sluggishly, muttering “Fucking drink.”

The guy grabbed his bow, pulled out an arrow and nocked it. He took aim and loosed it, but James dove into the woods as the arrow hit a tree with a thunk dangerously close to his head. 

“Get up, you fucking shits.” He kicked one guy. “You want to fuck this guy? Get up. He’s getting away.”

James bounded through the forest but not as quickly as he needed to. Before long, the guy who woke up roared into him. The two crashed to the ground, rolling down a slope and into a lane. James yelped in surprise, then turned to defend himself as he rose. He saw that his captor had hit his head on a rock; it killed him outright.

The others crashed through the thicket close behind and quickly surrounded James. Knives and swords were pulled out as they stared at their dead friend.

“I’m going to gut you like a fucking fish,” one of them said.

“Fucking cliché. Really? I’m going to leave this world with a bad fucking cliché? Come on!” James entreated.

“You killed our friend.”

“You knocked me out, stole my clothing, and were going to gang rape me.” James stayed in motion as they moved around him. “I think in the grand scheme of things it kind balances out.”

One man was about to dive at James when something else interrupted them. It was a horrid shriek from the edge of the road that diverted all attention. It was not a cry for help nor a war cry; it was more akin to the roar of a dark beast that lingered in the forest. The sound died out, leaving everyone on the alert looking for whatever made that noise.

“Oh great. What now?” James growled.

One of the gang got close to a bush as he tried to find the source of the sound… And a four meter long pike rushed from the bush to meet his unprotected chest. The steel point rammed his ribcage with such force that it came out of his back covered in blood. He screamed in pain and more of the Goldpoint guys came over to see what was going on.

The first one to get over to help was a plump and strapping man that looked like he was formerly a smith. For his promptness, he received the same point in his big belly but this time it didn’t came out from his back. Both men stood screaming in pain, united by the pike. Still, the unseen invader hidden in the copse stayed out of sight. 

Ten of them came to the aid for their screaming companions and found nothing but two men bleeding out their lives. The leader of the group looked at them and ordered some knave to end their agony. He was visibly angry now; his bald head was red with boiling anger. 

“Move back to camp!” He pointed to James. “Grab the shithead. We can deal with him afterwards.”

“Fuck you,” James retorted.

They grabbed James and dragged his ass back to the camp. They moved quite quickly as they got back there, throwing James against the tree again. The leader ordered men to stay with James. A figure burst out of the tree line and stabbed one man in the left kidney with a dagger, then used him as a shield to get close to another man, a crossbowman. The slender blade slashed out and just as quickly, the figure jumped into the forest again.

“All right, boys,” The leader yelled, “Form a line! Battle! Around the hangman’s tree!”

The Goldpoint Hunters obeyed, forming a circle around the tree where James was tied (again). They were not quiet enough to hear what happened behind the bushes and paid dearly for that oversight. A spear came flying from the forest and struck a man’s chest, followed by another aimed at the leader. But the raider leader was an experienced fighter and sidestepped away from the missile. The spear instead caught another man behind the knee. The wounded man fell screaming, clutching his leg.

“Shields!” the leader screamed in response. and the Hunters raised their wooden tower shields to block attacks. No more spears came after that. A dog on the other side of the camp was barking furiously and quieted in an instant. That could only mean one thing: someone was robbing their rewards. The leader signaled three of his men to go investigate and told them, “Scream if you see something.”

“Anybody there?” yelled a hunter when he approached the main tent. It was more than a tent; it was a semi-permanent house of at least a hundred square meters. 

Nothing responded and he got closer. 

He heard the sobs of the dog dying and came to end the poor beast’s suffering. As he took out a knife to slit the dog’s throat, a blade passed between his ribs. He was going to yell to the others for help but a dagger cut his neck before he could even open his mouth. His blood mixed with the dogs on the floor. The other two men entered the tent and reached for their fallen comrade, but when they were halfway in, a figure came down at them. The only detail they could discern was long hair and a hauberk. And the rapier and dagger, of course. One tried to deflect the unknown’s attack but it came too quickly. 

The parry was lazy and not strong enough to move the terrible point away from his face; he felt the steel biting deep into his brains. The other man turned and yelled for help but, before he could draw his axe, he saw the figure coming for him. Long brown hair, an angry face splattered with blood, a mail hauberk, two big round… He realized they were being slaughtered by a woman. And she slew him, too. A quick thrust with her rapier cut through his sternum and took his life.

The rest of them came rushing into the main tent but the bottleneck that was the small door assured that no more than three were fighting her at the same time. There they came. The two fastest runners entered first. One of them raised a battle-axe but the armored woman shut him down, first with a stab in the guts and then a cut in the neck. The second one came with a pair of daggers; he was too agile for the heavy rapier to get inside his guard. She threw the big accounting book of the Goldpoint Hunters at him and that momentary distraction was more than enough to let in a stab. Once blooded, his defense was clumsy and slow. She easily put the sword between his ribs a couple of times before he fell down.

When the dagger-wielder fell there were other three men already in one with a crossbow one with a mace and one with a spear. The spearman came first trying to win with sheer reach alone. The spear moved fast but it’s very advantage became a weakness when the dame got close. The spear became useless and she killed him with the dagger. The man with the mace tried to overpower her with strength but he did not count on her being a woman. He got distracted and she stabbed his right eye. When he bent to cover his eye she finished him with her trusty dirk. Then she heard a thump and felt something enter her body. A bolt caught her side; but barely piercing the hauberk. It was a flesh wound but it still hurt. When the crossbowman tried to reload she slit his throat with a quick horizontal cut. Under the chainmail her aketon was absorbing blood.

Two men came in next. One had a warhammer and charged her with fury. She jumped aside and went to fight the other one an axeman. The shirtless axe wielder fell down quickly as the slightest touches with the sharp sword opened terrible wounds in his skin. The hammer came down again this time she could move as fast and had to block with the rapier. The weapon audibly shrieked as in pain a part of it’s blade now dull. Before he could recover and attack again she kicked his stomach and poked her dirk into his ear. She grabbed her side. Blood had slowed down; she knew the wound was not severe.

Then one alone. He was wearing a studded gambeson with a cuirass and greaves and a crude halfhelmet. He carried a bow. He took aim faster than she could have reached him but the woman was smart. She took cover in the desk and promptly saw it was not attached to the floor. Reluctantly at first she decided there was other option. His bow was too fast to cover such distance. She was going to lift the desk and use it as a makeshift shield. Then a headsman’s axe interrupted her plans. The massive sharped steel block reduced the desk to shreds in a split second; she barely moved out in time. Then a third man attacked her back with a greatsword. She felt something inside her break and her mouth filled with blood. The man with the bow her target her bounty came closer.

The leader stood there and smirked at her “I expected more of Lord Edelstein. Do you not know who I am, I am Johan, and he sends a cunt with a knife after me? No. You are no normal whore. You are some noble man’s daughter but he wanted a boy didn’t he? He raised you as one as far as I can see. Dressed in mail and aketon. A dame? Yes. A female knight. Ha. I’ve heard rumors about what has to happen for you girls are knighted. How many of them did you suck? All? Ha! And all for nothing. Did you expect to take out single handily the mighty Goldpoint Hunters? Not only a whore but a dumb one. And pretty for the monster you are. I bet there are big breasts under all that steel. Come on boys. Take off her pan...” he was interrupted by a thump. He started screaming and fell upfront revealing the gold-pointed arrow that took his ass as target. He was screaming in pain yelling nonsense blabber. Behind him the archer was naked.

She used the brief moment of confusion as distraction, the split second she had before Johan’s henchmen reacted to pull out her dirk. A quick stab in the back took out the enormous man that carried the headsman’s ax aimed at his lung. The great swordsman ran to the naked man but she reached the raider in time. She shanked him with her elbow and closed her arm around him constraining his windpipe. But that was too slow. She used her other arm to pierce his skull with the dirk and then wiggled it inside his head. The tall man lost control of his legs and arms and mouth and still twitched violently when she left him. The axeman recovered from the damage and was charging against her. But an arrow got him first. Right in his big jiggling belly. He looked down and screamed in pain. 

The dame yanked of the arrow and stuck it in his mouth as deep as she could but that still wasn’t enough. The man lifted the axe one more time but fell down with another arrow this time in the heart. The screams of Johan were background noise during the fight but now it was getting worse. 

“P-Pleas-se… End it now!” he wailed. She grabbed the headsman’s axe and lifted it. As it was intended to be it went right through skin flesh and bone in a single blow. A clean decapitation. Then she felt the pain. Her side was throbbing and inside she had a broken rib; the hauberk protected her from the great sword bash. She fell to a knee not making more noise than a grunt. She spat blood and grabbed a wine bottle from the floor. With her dirk she opened a hole through the cork and took a long deep swig and then let out an audible sigh.

She turned to James who lowered the bow and stared at her in awe.

“Who are you?”

“I am Ella” she said… “I would normally kill any man that approached me like that. But now I’m making an exemption.” 

“Thank you.”

“Considering you helped me during the heat of the battle the distraction you caused saved my life” she studied him. “It appears I owe you as much as you owe me.”

“How about we call it even?”

She snorted and nodded “I am in need of assistance again.”

“What do you need?”

“I need you to help me out of my armour.” James nodded and dropped the bow and quiver and walked over to her and started helping her out of the armour and then followed the blood-soaked aketon. Below it she was wearing a soft thin semi-transparent shirt of silk; also completely bloody. The wound was pulsating the wood of the bolt sticking out of her. “I need you to get an ax or knife to the fire and bring it to me when it’s red-hot. Also bring fresh water. If you wouldn’t drink it don’t bring it.” 

He grabbed a dagger from the floor and a jar from a nearby table and went out of the tent. They were alone. Not a single one of them standing; one or two still dying in puddles of their own blood. He went to the central fire and balanced the dagger’s blade inside the flames and filled the jar with water from the boiled water pot that was beside a tent. It was still warm. He returned for the knife and went right back to the main tent. 

Inside Ella had already started her improvised surgery. With her own sharp dirk she cut the flesh around the crossbow bolt and pulled it off. It was almost a hand deep into her and blood came gushing out as well. She had lost so much blood. She signalled him for the hot iron. With it she sealed her own flesh biting a piece of wood and screaming from her throat. It smelt like roasted meat. He couldn’t stomach the sight much less the smell and excused himself out. He heard her scream and kick for almost a minute and the silence. 

He returned to the tent to find her passed out with her wound sealed and pissed-on breeches. Still in her awful state she had a rough beauty on her. Still having murdered more than a dozen men in battle some of them rather brutally she looked benevolent. Innocent almost. 

James shook his head. It was time to check out the camp. He stripped the men of their clothing and took the clothes to the stream nearby where he washed them as best he could. He took the clothing back up to the camp and placed them inside the tent where she lay. It turned out that the leader of the group had a small chest of stolen goodies in that tent. James pulled out women’s robes and looked at Ella. He sighed.

James stripped her. The boss had been right; she did have big breasts under her armour. He paused, hefting one. She was truly out cold. He smiled and stroked it, rubbing his finger over her big nipple before washing her clean. He then dried and dressed her in the robes, then lay her on an animal fur of some sort so she could sleep.

He knelt and studied her sleeping form.

He couldn’t just leave her. There was plenty to do around the campsite until she awoke. Or he could just sit and gaze at her luscious form. He did some of both.

Eventually, she woke up and looked around bleary-eyed. She saw him standing by the fire warming his hands and commented wryly, “Well at least you’re dressed.”

He started at the sound of her voice and turned to her.

James grinned, “Thank you again for the rescue. I was going to burn the bodies but I didn’t know if you needed them for anything. Do you?”

“Yes,” she nodded. Feeling better but still covered only by the robe, she grabbed an axe and walked over to the leader’s body. She swung it smoothly slicing the head off. She then repeated the process with the other corpses. She gathered up the head into a sheet of cloth and dumped the bundle on the table. “When I’m feeling better I’ll take the heads into town as proof that I’ve killed them. I’ll get some decent bounty for this lot.”

Before they had found James, the group had killed a wild boar. Because he didn’t know how to cook it, he hadn’t touched what could be a nice dinner. When questioned, he owned up to his culinary ineptitude. She sighed and did all of the work to turn the boar into supper. Soon the meat was crackling away. She cut off a piece and handed it to him, saying, “How’s it tasting?”

“Delicious. Thank you.”

“You don’t know anything about hunting?”

He shrugged “Where I come from food is plentiful.”

“Why did you end up here?”

“I was looking for work truthfully” James said. “I got bored and then I got lost and ended up with these dickless wonders.”

She snorted.

“They were going to gang rape me” he mused.

“Good thing I happened by, then.”

“Yup.”

They exited that tent and Ella guided him to a nearby tree where three horses were tied. They were obviously her horses. One of them pulled an empty cart where James put the bloody head sack. The second horse looked tired and the last one was a fresh murky brown steed. Ella hung her armor on the tired horse and told James “Sorry for this, but we will need to ride doubles. I didn’t count on riding back to Aschenburg with a lost man.” They both climbed up the brown horse and rode on to this Ascheburg place.

The ride was long and boring without much talk. That was okay with James, who had his arms around a pretty and well-endowed woman’s waist. His eyes took in the impossibly green land, the clean air, and the sky filled with stars. James was astonished with this land’s beauty and still pissed off at this land’s people. Not everyone was bad, certainly, as demonstrated by the chivalrous exemplar he was holding as he rode. The moon was fully up when they saw the stone walls of Aschenburg lit by the torches bright upon them.

“We are really in the sixteenth century.”

“What? No, it’s the Year of Our Lord 2156. You really aren’t from around here, are you?”

“No.”

They approached the main door, which was a huge wooden and ironbound slab. It showed signs of battle and the walls were full of scars, too. This made James uncomfortable; reality struck him. This land was real, with its own history and great kings and old battles and lives wasted. 

“Who comes?” Asked a voice from the other side of the door.

“The Dame Ella from Aschenburg, daughter of the Baron Wilhelm Whiteburn. And a man who I found in danger and rescued.”

“Welcome, then”

The man opened the wicket gate and Ella guided the cart horse, then the armor horse through. She then told James to dismount. He complied and then passed through the gate. Before he saw anything in the city, the guard confronted him. 

“Give me your name, natal city, and age,” demanded the man who sat at a desk with parchment and quill. 

“James… Uhm… Greenland from the land of… Ontario. I’m 24 years old”.

“Written. Okay come on and welcome to Aschenburg. The Lord Edelstein will know of your arrival. Stay close to the lady; she’s bound by oath to care for you.”

They moved on. Although without electric lights, the city was not as dark as James expected it to be at night. The moon and stars shone a pale bluish light upon the stone and wood buildings as well as on the earthen streets. The air has humid and cold and with tinges of many things. James couldn’t identify any of the smells. They walked to what looked like the only open building in the city, a squat building with a wine purple and gold banner. Inside an old man was distractedly reading a book. He was wearing a gambeson and a mail shirt; he had the look of a veteran. Ella approached.

“M’lady, what can I do for you?”

“I want to collect my reward. We wiped out the Goldpoint band.”

“Fine. Let me check the book… Wait. Well, it’s a hundred gold coins for every head. And there will be extra because you finally got to your hundredth kill. The ceremony is in a fortnight but I guess I can give you the suit now.”

Ella told James to wait there outside the shop while she went in with the veteran. James felt alone. But not as in “no people around” more like “no one from his old life.” No known person was here. A complete stranger in an unknown land and he was waiting outside a shop where they would change severed heads for money. What a change from cleaning the attic to this.

A faint sound came out of the shop. And it got louder and louder until she came back through the wooden door. She was wearing a complete set of armor, masterly crafted to fit her. From the pauldroms with Lord Edelstein’s emblem to the last bit of her fingers it was silvery steel enameled in some parts with wine purple and gold - Aschenburg’s colors. The suit made a constant noise as she walked and moved, all metal clanking and cotton sliding. And inside the majestic Armet helmet her sky blue eyes shone with moonlight. She looked like a goddess ready for battle. James was certainly impressed with the fact that, as thick as all those cotton leather and iron layers were, he could still make out her womanly shape. 

From the helmet came a muffed voice. “Come on now. Let’s find a nice place to pass the night.”  
After almost an hour walking through the sleeping city they found a warm inn with available rooms and a hot bath; Ella decided it was good enough. They settled the price and she paid from her big bag of gold; just a couple of pieces made the innkeeper smile.

James went to take a bath in the inn’s back bathhouse. The water was hot and the soap too harsh but it felt good to be clean. Sadly, he had to wear the same dirty clothes he’d been in all day; he simply had no others. He re-dressed and went to his room, courtesy of Ella’s gold coin. The room was surprisingly comfortable and sleep came easily.

The bells of a nearby church woke him right at dawn and the smells of a thousand breakfasts inundated him. He opened the door of his room and went down the stairs with a quick pace and found a rested and jolly Ella eating at the table, telling a story to the rest of the guests.

“And there was I almost dead and with a crossbow bolt inside me, hopeless and broken, against three men. Suddenly the infamous Johan fell to his knees with an arrow trough his heart...”

“I shot him in the ass not the heart!” Interrupted James and grabbed a piece of fresh bread with milk butter spread. It was quality bread commonplace in these lands but oh so rare back in downtown Ontario. The hall laughed hard and everyone seemed happy. A faint music from another inn reached here and cocks still crowed their morning wakeup. Ella approached him and talked.

“I want you to come with me to my anointment ceremony. With the Goldpoint pigs I slew my hundredth enemy of my Lord of Edelstein and thus I have the right to serve as a full Crusader. I will swear an oath and be knighted again. As you can imagine, it is a great honor. One of the principles of chivalry is to defend the hopeless and you certainly are. Normally only male knights reach this level but now at last I am to be raised to shield the people of our Kingdom of Ehelia. So will you come with me?”

James accepted and they went to buy him clothes appropriate for of assisting a ceremony. A linen doublet and silk pantaloons cost her five coins each but Ella assured him they were the right choice. Then they went back to the inn and got dressed for the occasion. He felt awkward wearing that much silk in his lower regions and the doubllet was stiffer than he thought. But nonetheless he didn’t complain. It was a big day for his only acquaintance in this world and he needed her more than she needed him. 

The ceremony was rather ominous and stern; the priest focused on the glory of serving the kingdom and so on. James almost drifted off to sleep but managed to control himself. When Ella turned to see him he would put on his best smile but, otherwise, it was boring. Hearing prayer after chant after oath after prayer… Three hours and it was done. Lord Edelstein put his sword on Ella’s left shoulder then the right shoulder then her head and raised her to his level on the podium. She was now under oath and her actions would represent the Kingdom’s will, not hers. The people were dismissed and the multitude was dispersing when she signalled James to come close.

“My Lord, this is the man. The one I found amidst the Hunters”.

Then the man spoke with a voice deep and amiable: “I see. I welcome you, James Greenland, to our humble city of Aschenburg. I hope you have found a home in our many inns.”

James answered confidently. “Yes, your highness. I spent the night in a local inn.”

“I understand you come from a faraway land and that you do not possess any coin or title. Well, I am a generous lord and I give you employment as my knight Ella’s squire. As such you must swear to serve her in any way she wants or needs. You must swear to help and support her in combat and to learn from her all she knows. Do you swear that? Say it.”

“I swear to serve Ella Whiteburn in any way she wants or needs, and to help and assist her on the battlefield and to learn her ways and skills.”

“It’s done then. You are tied to her now. She must protect you from our enemies and train you in the knightly arts and you must respect her as you would respect me, her lord. Understood?”

“Yes, my lord”. 

“Good and good. I shall retire then. I assigned Ella a task. I’ll let her tell you about it,” he nodded at them and departed. 

Ella stood solemnly armoured but with her helmet hanging from her hip. And she spoke. “We need to find you some armor. And a proper weapon. And you will learn to use them in time.”

She guided him through the city’s labyrinthine streets and alleys until they reached the Iron Plaza. This great marketplace was completely devoted to arms and armor. In the air hung the song of a hundred hammers pounding anvils and the smell of char sweat and hot steel. The dame knew where to go and the new-made squire followed. They entered a big store where a man that was at least ninety years old attended them with a frail voice. “You need steel I know. The fire told me so. Come!” he invited them to a compact armoury. There hung knives daggers side swords shortswords bastard swords sabers longswords rapiers falchions greatsworrds warhammers axes battleaxes flails morningstars spears and pikes. “Pick whatever you want. Feel their weight. Know their spirit” spoke the elderly man. 

James got close to a wall teeming with weapons. It was like if it was the mouth of some great beast filled with theet but the theet were steel and the creature’s flesh was stone wall. He could see his reflection in every one if them. He wandered his eyes trough them all until one caught his focus. A bastad sword shimmering steel mounted in a white leather handle. The guard was straight and split and spiked like a warhammer the pommel was shaped like an eagle. 44 inches of double-fluted blade and ended in a low-steep spike. He grabbed it. It felt surprisingly light not at all what he expected from what he learnt in movies and TV. 

The old man spoke then. “A good choice. Its spirit is calling for you; I think you feel it too. It’s balanced and sharp with good geometry and solid construction. I ask 150 golden coins for it.”

James reached for his wallet but then remembered paper money had probably no meaning here. Then he looked to Ella. She handed the old man a bag of coins and he accepted it. “The sword is yours now” Told him the fireseer. “Take care of it. Hear its spirit and it’ll serve you for a lifetime.”

Then the man went to the back of the store and produced a bundle of purple silk bigger than he was and handed it to Ella. “And for you the weapon of a Crusader. Moonlight - the finest blade in my shop; fit for killing gods.”

She unveiled the greatsword with care, as if it were a babe in arms. 60 inches of diamond blade. Dark steel with ripples of silver in all it’s length and a double hilt before the handle. It did seemed like the best in the store even with the thousands of weapons on display. She re-bundled it and rested it on her shoulder and both strode off the store. Now they went to an armorer. He was young and full of energy and made short matter of them when he saw that the armor was for him not for her. On Ella’s advice they bought an aketon a mail shirt thick vambraces asymmetrical gauntlets a halfhelm and a pair of greaves. James tried them on and saw that they fit and Ella paid two hundred coins for his armor. He took it off and carried it in a bundle. They went away from the Iron Plaza and when they were alone enough for no one else to listen she spoke to him.

“Lord Edelstein’s daughter is missing. A band of raiders attacked her wagon when she was returning from the City of Eckhamburg and they want the Baron Henndrik’s head as ransom. We are tasked with finding their hideout, saving the young lady, and slaying the last of them. And we are departing today at dusk.”


	2. Day by Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Ella are sent on a mission to rescue a Damsel in Distress.

James and the newly minted Knight left the safety of the village. Fortunately he had his own horse this time. However, he missed having those big boobs pressed up against him, although he didn’t fancy having her in her armour poking him with all the sharp bits; that sort of killed his boner. He chuckled and got a look from the Knight, erm Dame, as they rode, so he kept his thought to himself. She sighed and continued on.

They had to stop during the nighttime.

“Make a fire, James.”

“Uh, how?”

She studied him, “Do your people not know how to make fires?”

“Some of us do, yes, but some of us don’t. Remember when I told you my land is a land of plenty?”

“Yes, indeed,” she sighed. She had to show James the very basics. This, she thought, was going to be time consuming. So the Dame showed James how to make a fire - from her belt she took out a chert and a knife and used friction to produce copious sparks that quickly became a fire. ‘Surprisingly effective,’ James thought.

She also taught him how to look for game. They caught a rabbit which she skinned, cleaned and stuck on a spit to start cooking.

The skin would be dried out and used for whatever it was she wanted. Maybe it would be sold, he mused. When the food was cooked she gave him his portion and they ate in silence. The next morning he rose with her. He was a morning person, which helped a lot because it meant being able to get up whenever she did.

The journey was about three days long. Each time they stopped in the evening, she had him make the fires to boost his training. She also had him performing some moves while they rested. When evening time became full darkness, the two slept and rose before the morning.

They reached the camp.

It was maybe a dozen tents, all completely worn. It looked like a strong wind could take the whole thing apart, all weathered leathers and weak branches. Mud accumulated between the tents, and even the palisade was made poorly and quickly.

It was pretty shoddy by all standards. James frowned.

“Not entirely what I was expecting.”

Ella snorted, “Nothing usually is.”

“True.” He mused. “So how do you want to play this?”

“We need to take them out quickly.”

James nodded thoughtfully, “But how?”

“Are you able to scout out how many they’ve got?”

“Yeah,” James nodded and crept back into the underbrush.

From a privileged, high position, he counted all of them, while gathering information on their weapons and armour. They were unusually badly equipped; they looked even worse than the encampment they were residing in. Something seemed off, as if they weren’t raiders at all. They were walking in circles and the cage was empty. He could tell that even from this distance. This was not where they held Lord Edelstein’s daughter. One of the men turned his head towards him. James felt something odd as he tried to focus on that man’s eyes, something... unnatural about them.

More of them were coming from the tents, pouring out by the dozens…and they all just looked at him with their blank stares. 

“Down, you idiot!” Ella pushed him to the ground, to hide him in the bushes. 

“Who are they?” he whispered, confused. 

“Not they, those. They are ghouls. Corpses animated by curses.”

‘Dude!’ James thought… Zombies!...“Of course there are curses in this world. Well, what now? The cage is empty.”

“We cannot go back to Aschenburg empty-handed.”

“But what else can we do?”

Ella stayed there, just ruminating, staring blankly at James’ eyes for a while. “Their hearts. Whoever cursed them, must have left his rune branded on their hearts to seal the spell in the dead bodies. We have a lead! But on the other side, we have to open one of them and take the heart.”

It was getting dark and, in whispers, they decided to deal with the undead in daylight. They would head away from the camp for the night and come at the ghouls in the morning.

They slept around the fire, cold winds from the north forcing them to keep the fire alive all the night. James could not help but note that even in the night Ella slept in a thick, always ready for immediate combat. Such a beastly woman, but yet, pretty.

Come the morning, they geared up to battle. James adjusted his leather vest on and then followed with a rather large aketon. Then donned his greaves, which fitted exactly. Finally, he grabbed his mail shirt and lifted it up to put it on. It was heavy, but nothing his arms couldn’t handle. He was adjusting his sword belt, when Ella interrupted: 

“James,” She said with a tone he had never heard before. It confused him a bit. “Assist me, please.” He turned towards her and saw the mighty woman all dressed in mail, struggling with her breastplate. “Close the straps,” she ordered, while holding both superior and abdominal plates against her body. 

James proceeded perfunctorily, unconsciously trying not to touch her oily, metallic shirt. He passed the leather straps through metal rings, locking them in place, and then pulled them to adjust the plates to Ella’s body.

Once they were ready, the Dame shared the battle plan. “You will stay on that hill in the high ground. That way you are out of danger and can put that bow to use. I will get close and cut them down.”

James walked to the nearby hill and put his carcaj on the floor. He remembered his hobby, back in his previous life, and began modulating his breath. He had to assure himself that he could shoot far and straight, even after years without training. James lifted his gaze and looked to the camp. Ella was approaching the entrance, so he had to be ready. He took out his bow and an arrow from the stolen carcaj and took aim with his strong arms. 

The arrow was heavier than the carbon fiber ones he remembered from his adolescence, and the tension of the curved wood of the bow would soon start to wear down his muscles. Besides, he was running out of time to aim. He quickly decided on a target, a ghoul standing still, away from the palisade entrance, and loosed the arrow. It felt amazing to let go, to let the wooden stick of death fly, rushing towards a dead body to kill it again. 

All of the reanimated corpses twitched, and the biggest of them roared and pointed towards the hill. They began running, striding towards the palisade gap. Then, James saw, the dame’s steel was put to work. Her heavy greatsword tore through rotting flesh and hardened, decaying bone and through flesh again. A clean hack cut two of them thoroughly in two. The next ones that came met her furious blade and their grim ends in a single moment; there was a flash of silver and heads rolled. 

James reacted. He was mesmerised by her violence, but he had to get hold of himself. He took another arrow and flexed the longbow, aimed for a big undead and loosed with accuracy. A heartbeat later the twice-dead cadaver fell to the floor, completely lifeless. James realised that the arrows were very effective against them and tried to up his fire rate. He was now shooting two arrows each minute, with most of them meeting decayed flesh. 

In the distance, he could see the iron-clad woman fighting an ever so brutal war, slashing and cutting and hacking them to pieces faster than they came out of the tents. They all seemed to surrender to the master smith’s enchanted steel. That stayed true until the biggest of them got close to her. James tried to hit him, but the palisade was blocking his line of sight, and the beast got close to Ella. Close enough to use its rusty, sodden longsword as if it was a whip, and attack the unaware dame. 

“Watch out!” shouted James, but it was too late.

A loud bang was heard when the monster’s blade chinked with the warrior’s armour. The back plate was dented, and Ella fell to a knee. James could almost feel in his own back the impact. He realised he was running towards the ghoul. He unsheathed his broadsword and cut at it as hard as he could. But the beast had already seen him. Another swift strike with the rusty blade was executed, and this time James felt all the force of it on his chest. He couldn’t move. His vision was blurry, and his hearing impaired. 

James had his sight upwards. He was unable to even move his eyeballs. Then both figures entered his vision field. Ella was pouring down strike after strike, cut after cut, towards the monster. She was fighting with an remarkable, almost inhuman, strength; James was sure even a strong man could not strike that hard and that fast. The beast was receiving every blow with his sword, parrying and riposting as every blow. A great swordsman he must have been in life. 

Then it finally happened. The decaying steel was conquered by the gleaming, newly forged greatsword, and Ella took the opportunity to stand in an Ox pose and perform a Maisterschlacht. Half of the engraved, red-shiny blade came out from the ghoul, and it screamed during its second death. Thankfully, the rest of the ghouls died instantly and James found he was able to move again.

“Jesus.”

Ella looked up, sweating.

“What, who?” She breathed heavily.

“Never mind,” James said. “They’re all dead?”

“Kill the master ghoul and they all die.”

“Like a control centre?”

“What?”

“Of course,” he smiled.

She wouldn’t understand that terminology or what technology itself was. It was unimaginable in this backwards era, where medieval technology and thinking reigned supreme. Tangentially, he wondered if there were churches and whether or not they burned witches at the stake.

Dusk had fallen amidst all this butchery. It was not totally dark yet, but stars were beginning to appear. James realized that these were not the same stars he was used to. They were strange stars, forming strange constellations in a strange firmament. Suddenly his train of thought was derailed by a flash of light in the forest. 

“Ella? What is that?”

“That… is trouble” said the knight, and prepared her greatsword. 

Both walked towards the forest, James a couple of steps behind her… after all, she had the best armour money could buy. He had a mere mail shirt. 

Light danced ahead of them each few seconds, and there were other lights that remained on. The other lights were clearly fire, but the bright one, the one that caught their attention, only shone for a second each time. 

They strode always closer. Then he heard it. It was a mob. Suddenly pieces came together; angry people, the fires were torches. But what in hell was that white light?

The people were shouting curses and throwing stones at a small house in the middle of the forest. James’ imagination was imagining a thousand things, until he could hear clearly one of the words that the crowd was shouting. “Witch!”

As they got closer, they could discern a girl on the roof of the house. The mob had lit the wooden structure on fire, forcing her out. They were stoning her, and threatening her descent with forks and spears and axes and torches. There was nowhere to go, and she was begging to be left alone. She was in tears, her robes burnt in several places, and clinging to a book. 

She opened the tome and said aloud words, and suddenly a thunder bolt rushed from her and and into the people, without sound, only light. That was the light that they saw before; this witch casting spells. All was clear…she was being lynched. 

“What can we do?” asked James to Ella, quietly, to avoid being heard by the mob.

“We can try to scare the people away, but that’s it. You know that I’m a knight, I’m supposed to protect these people.” Replied Ella, with a sad tone.

“We must do something! They will kill her!” shouted James, and ran to the crowd. He started shouting. “Stop this now! Go away!”

Some people turned their heads, but quickly returned to their grisly business. They were not going to stop for one man. 

Behind him, Ella battered her shield with her sword over and over again. It produced a surprisingly loud noise, enough to get the attention of the mob. 

“A knight of the Lord Edelstein commands you! Let her be!” Yelled the armoured woman, at the top of her lungs. 

A man from the mob rose his fist, and spoke for the group. “A cunt wearing tin tries to stop us? Show her th...”

James took aim and shot off an arrow, his aim was good enough now that he scored a direct hit on the man’s torch arm, dropping it, the man cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. James growled and whipped out another, nocked it, aimed and shot the torch from another’s hand.

“I’m that quick,” he snapped. “Any of you other mother fuckers want a go?”

The crowd’s bloodthirst was too much to be quenched by a single arrow. They just changed objective, and now were after James, not the poor girl on the burning house.

Another man lifted his hand to throw a stone to James, James saw it and loosed an arrow at him, striking the stone from his hand, another arrow was in his hand and holding as Ella stepped forwards, wrenching her broadsword from her sheath, she stared at them.

“Go now,” she shouted.

“Why, she is a witch.”

“Then as a knight it is my sworn duty to kill her,” Ella shouted. “Not yours.”

“Ella is the law, not you,” James barked and pulled the string back as a villager edged closer to them, the man stepped back. “God it’s like fucking purge night.”

“Purge night,” Ella questioned.

“One night a year where all violence is legal,” James explained.

“Hm, sounds like a good way to solve crime.”

“Yeah never works that way though. There’s a reason why some stories are fictional.”

“True,” she nodded. She shouted loudly, raising her sword up high, the fire glinting off the steel and looking more threatening than it actually was.

Ella, seasoned with many a battle, knew that the blood on her armour was enough to seed fear on these people’s hearts. She stepped towards the mob, and they all stepped back instinctively. Some tripped and fell over others, some covered their heads in horror, more than one evacuated their bowels on the spot. 

She pressed her psychological advantage and roared like a wild animal. The crowd finally broke into a disastrous rout, running in every direction. James then saw Ella, and understood the fear on the folk. She was certainly a large woman in every aspect, taller than many men. Her armour shone with the fire, giving her a demonic glow; her sword was giant beyond normal and her shield engraved with a skull. Her helm’s eye slits were pure shadow, inhuman. He understood that for these people, a demon was way worse than a witch. James’ chest swelled with pride at his partner, his only friend in this god-forsaken world. She was something to fear, and she was on his side. 

The dame took her heavy helmet off after a day of action, her thick black hair dripping sweat. “Girl! Come down! The house will burn down anytime now!”

The witch saw nowhere to land, with the vicinity of the house set aflame. She was scared, so much so that she seemed paralysed. 

James said to her “Just jump! A broken leg is better than dying burnt!”, and got as close as he could. “I will catch you!”

The girl hesitated. She looked around, as if with hope of some saviour appearing out of thin air. She made up her mind, pressured by the burning flames, and threw herself from the ledge of the house. 

For James, time slowed down. He saw the lady move so slowly that he could position himself just right to stop her fall. 

She fell into his arms and he caught her with the roll, he landed on top of her, she looked up at him and he down into her purple eyes. He was in between her legs and pressed down onto her impressive cleavage, they were larger than Ella’s, in fact a LOT bigger than Ella’s, and the flimsy dress she wore did nothing to hide their luscious beauty.

“Hello,” he said weakly.

“Hi,” she grinned lopsidedly.

“My goodness, you are pretty!”

She flushed and nodded, “Thank you.”

Ella coughed, “James?”

James nodded and looked back to the witch. Before getting up, he thrust gently into her to express his interest and she grunted. He pushed one more time to ensure there was no mistaking his interest, then and slid off her. He stood up and his rampant member tented his trousers, causing both women to stare. Even Ella couldn’t help but look at it. She’d seen him naked before, of course, and at the time his tool had been an ideal size, but until this moment she had never seen it erect.

As courteous as ever, James held out his hand to the witch, who took it daintily. He carefully raised her from the ground. Ella smiled broadly.

“Very well done, James,” she nodded.

“Huh?”

“Your chivalry lessons are coming along nicely.”

To his surprise, James blushed at the compliment, “Thank you, Ella.”

He hadn’t let go of the witch, and found that he had pulled her fully into his body. He moved his arms around her and held her against torso, causing her to flush again.

“As long as I am alive,” James said. “No man or woman shall lay harm on you. This I swear.”

She looked at him, seeing how serious he was, and nodded.

“Thank you, James.”

“Do I get a kiss from the maiden fair?”

This actually got a laugh from her, “A kiss?”

“As payment for saving your life?” 

She nodded and James paused and she asked, “What is wrong?”

“I don’t know what your name is?”

“Isa.”

He nodded and tilted his head to her. She got the message and moaned as he pressed his lips against her full petals. ‘God, they even tasted good.’ 

As they broke the embrace, she blushed deeply, the pink traveling down her neck to her voluptuous chest. James’ grin split across his face. 

She indicated readiness for another kiss. That is, she leaned in closer to him, pursing her lips. 

Isa was nervous at first, unsure of what to do or what was even happening. James didn’t mind though because Isa’s lips felt nice on his. It took a moment for Isa to ease into it but when she did, it made James sigh happily. Tentative kisses turned to bold kisses which quickly became a full-force make out session. The two shifted positions to face each other fully to get the most out of the experience. Eventually, they came up for air.

He studied her. “Thank you,” he smiled. He went to move, but Isa grabbed him, not daring to let go. James slid his arm back around her waist. It was time to move, though.

The three found an area in the forest where there would be no nervous villagers about. James quickly started unpacking the pelts, while keeping an eye on Isa. While he was doing that, Ella took off her helmet and headed out, there was a loud squeak from some unknown animal and the Dame brought it back, she slumped it down on the ground, pulled out a wicked looking knife and got to work carving it up. The camp was set up quickly and was comfortable enough to sleep but simple enough to pick up quickly. The group sat around the fire, in between the food rations and the meat from the dead beast, they had a veritable feast. 

“So what happened?”

Isa sighed.

“They believed I was the source of the Ghoul attacks on the village.”

“Were you?” Ella asked a bit aggressively.

“No,” she shook her head. “There was a powerful mage who attacked my village and held a poor lady as captive. I tried to do something, but he was too powerful and I had to flee. I tried to find a safe harbour when I happened on this village. For a time it was safe and then one of them saw my book and, well, you know the rest.”

“Would you be able to find the mage again?”

“I can try, yes.”

“There is no try,” James said quietly invoking Yoda. “Do, or do not.”

Ella, fully in command, simply said, “Do it now.”

The witch opened one of the leather bags she carried on her belt and pulled out a quartz stone attached to a string.

“This will lead us to the greatest magic source nearby. Surely it will point to this mage you are searching. By the way, why would you seek such a despicable man?”

James opened his mouth to speak, but before any word came out, Ella showed the witch the wax seal of Lord Edelstein, and told her about their mission to rescue the missing girl. 

“Then I shall assist you. This is a noble deed.” said the witch, and with a soft voice, recited an incantation than brought a faint green light to the crystal, almost like a star from the faraway heavens. 

The rock defied gravity and all physics known to James; it shifted in the air and pointed towards a mountain in the horizon. 

“So… the mage is in the mountain?” asked James. “That’s a long way to walk, we will need horses to get there”

“I don’t think so” shyly commented the young witch. “There is a ruined castle between us and the mountains. Maybe he’s hidden there”

“Is it close?”

“A day’s march from here,” interceded Ella, who was familiar with the terrain. “There is no point in trying to find him now and even if we do, we’ll get ambushed by any ghouls he has there. No for the moment we will rest and hunt him tomorrow.”

Both James and Isa nodded in agreement.

“You must be hungry!”

“I’m starving! The folk had chased me for three days. If it weren’t for you...”

“Now let’s don’t get gloomy. We should replenish out energies for tomorrow.”

“By the way, James,” added Ella, “What you did before, when the ghouls surrounded me...”

“You are welcome, it was my turn to take one for the team”

“No, James. That was foolish. Never do it again”

James blinked in surprise, “What? You should be...”

“James, I’m a knight. I’m not a damsel in distress, I’m an iron clad woman who could stand against a hundred foes and win. That was reckless. Brave, yes, but...”

“Ella. I knew the risk. I just couldn’t afford to lose you”

The three fell quiet, nothing more needed to be said, although James could see the blush creep up on Ella’s cheeks. The two had grown close after the last week and James felt a connection with her. It didn’t forestall James from stealing flirtatious glances with the witch. Both James and Ella noticed the erect nipples tenting Isa’s top.

God, he loved the fact that no one wore bras in this place!

They ate, James shared out the food and drank, only water, now was not the time for wine and soon fell asleep. At daybreak, the group folded the animal skins and got moving, to march to war. Guided by the crystal shining in Isa’s hand, they walked through forest and marsh until they arrived at the abandoned castle of Drakenfells.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this...” said James, channelling Han Solo.

“We can feel it, too,” Isa reassured him.

Ella looked to the ground and planted her sword. “Here lie the remnants of Lord Uhmsberg. He defied the king with a hundred knights and five thousand soldiers. He died besieged. Poor old bastard wanted to pay fewer taxes and ended up eating his shoes’ soles before opening the doors. The king ordered the place destroyed.”

“Why would the mage hide here? It seems like the worst place ever”

“It’s obvious that he wants to be found. It’s a trap. He must know we are tracking him.”

“Quite so,” came a booming voice. 

As they spun around to face the source of the challenge, James pulled out an arrow, saying, “Here we go.”

“Indeed, now we start,” the Mage shouted. Around them, energy crackled in the walls, bouncing off them.

The earth itself trembled when the wizard raised up into the air, staff in hand, and landed in the castle’s open entrance. Ella charged him and James nocked an arrow, but it was pointless. The sword bounced off the old man’s robes as if he were made of pure iron, and the arrow was deflected by some unnatural force. Ella realized far too late that this was no common enemy. Being so close to the man, she was easily thrown away. A hundred and thirty kilograms of woman and steel flew as if she were nothing more than a rag doll. 

“It won’t be so easy!” shouted the mage with his augmented voice; James heard it louder than an airplane engine. 

Isa was furiously changing pages in her books, trying to find a spell useful against such a powerful opponent. Ella got to her feet and reunited with James, trying to shield him. James himself did not knew what to do. He was in shock. How could someone do that? It was just unfair.

Almost rhetorically, James wondered aloud, “How are we going to win this?” Without responding to him, Ella launched herself forward again, only to crash against the arcane power that surrounded the man.

“It is useless!” shouted Isa. “Nothing physical will break his defence”

“A clever woman you have there,” said the wizard. “Let’s see how well you can fight...”

With a motion of his hand, the mage brought forth a horde of undead that surrounded Ella and James. They were too much for them to dispatch quickly; for a while, Isa was alone to fight against the power of the old man.

Isa reached toward the mage with both her hands and lightning came from her fingers, filling the air with the smell of ozone and searing light. Energy danced back and forth and sideways, the streams of electricity focusing into a single spear that managed to damage the wizard’s aura.

“Very good,” spat the powerful man disdainfully, albeit with a sweaty brow. “Now die!”

A miasma of noxious life forms formed around the hands of the mage, and was then cast forward, toward the witch. Isa dodged neatly and avoided the orb of sickness that would have hit her. 

James was loosing as many arrows as he could, but the zombies were too numerous. His carcaj would run out and not even a half of them would have fallen. Ella spoke to him “I’m going to keep them focused on me, help Isa kill the mage!”

He ran back into the woods to escape the horde of undead, trusting in Ella’s inhuman skill with sword and shield. James felt bad for leaving his dame behind, but he had to help poor Isa, who was now cornered against the gates of the castle.

James nocked an arrow and pulled from the bow with all his strength, tensing his old longbow to the limit, and released it onto the mage’s uncovered back. Isa’s magic had weakened the arcane force and James’ arrow had finally broken it. 

The arrow hit.

It struck the mage and the resounding aftershock hit James hard. He screamed as he was thrown away like a ragdoll, hitting the ground and rolling.

Just like that it was over, the horde all fell, leaving Ella to stand there and ponder what the hell had happened, while Isa stood breathless, clutching her book against her chest.

“James.”

Ella ran and found him, groaning and grunting.

He looked at her with bright shining eyes, “Did we do it?”

“Yes,” she nodded as a tear slid down her cheek.

“Then today is a good day to die,” his eyes closed.


End file.
